The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-10-31

Jay GOULD AND THE u. & o.
Ho Talks About tho Furchaso-The Gov
ai erninent and the TslerrnDh. + Z

ue Talks About tho turchaso-The Gov.
crnment and the Telegraph. NJ 3
In en- Interview by reporter OF the
Philadelphia Pres Jay Gould spoke as
follows, In answef to queption "a to
whether there VISA any thing further to SAY
regarding the Baltimore & Ohio purchase:
"rhers Is one thing about It which doeu
not seem to. be- generally known. One Of
our notive1 Tor buying in the property
vaS that we had been engaged in a very
long and expensive litigation with the
Baltimore 4 Ohio Railroad owe. the rail.
road telegraph lines that 10 10 uay, the
lines and oilice1 which arc along tho rail.
road aud which wore in existence when
tho Bslsiploso 4. Ohio Telegraph Company
wes organised. These linea were built by
a predecessor oil the Western Union, q
company afterwards consolidated with eur
oTp, so that we always thought We had
legitimate claim on those Wires. When
the Baltimore & Ohio Telegraph was
atsrted, this Telegraph line was rented to
them fcr $4,000 year, aud We brought
tho matter into the courts. The purchase
ct tho Baltimore & Ohio lines ard our re-.
sumption Of this lea1e terminated this
very tedious and costly contest. AZ to the
results Of tho purchaee, l may say that
there, will bs 70 advance in rateS, except
possibly to soms distant points. Or the
other hand, there will be some vary ma.
tsrlll leductioaE. 81 s Z
We have no idea whatever OF purchas.
irg the Postal or the Unitgd Lines Com.
pany, but tho opposition corporations
Gave come to Al arrangement, OF which
re arc cognizant, and to which We IRE par
ties, the principal feature Of which is the
making Of rSte Of twenty-five cents be-
tween tho exchanges ip different cities.
Such meGsnses involve no menaen2er Ger.
vice, either ct ole eld for calling OF st the
I:hsr end for delivery, aad tEs MESSENGER
service represents & very important saving.
Outside Of this exchange business, the
oppoei.ion compsnioo will csiargs five
cents less than We will to important points.
Our ratio to Chicago will be forty cent?
hereafter and the oppaition will 30 thirty.
diva cents. - X.
Putting cur rate at forty centS neces.
states reduction Of ten centa from our
dtty cent rate, which We have firmly held
al through the bitter war aud competition
Of the past year or more"
THE GOVERNMENT AND THE TELEGRAPH.
s"Do you beIlcyo, Mr.. Gould, that the
iiscuasion Of poasible Governmental con-
troll OF tho telegraph lines, (which vac
started ssain ut tho time your COMPANY
purchased tho Baltimore 4 Ohio lincp, Ia.
lica!ea any earnest aud thoughtful move
nsnt in that direction, and do you think
my results will flow from it in the near
fulure?h '35g' ,sEt,sr. Ii. ~
Mdonot think tho Government wants TO
90 into the telegraph business aud l think
shs morethsy LOOK into 1t tho leas will be
the desire. Out Of 1900 employees of
1ur lines, at least 10000 Of them are paid,
st least in part, by the railroad compenies
on whose lines the telegraph othcen ere
located. This arrangement ia effected, of
course, for the reaeon tlst Ia thin way the
railroads securs the telegrsphic service
which ia absolutely necessary for tho con-
duct Of their busineas mose ohssply than
sould be possible in any other way.
More than 1900 out OF our 16, 600 Offices
hat are the property Of railroad compa.
mics, are liehtsd, heated and furnished by
chem. Ills scarcely necessary to poilt out
| that the Government could not form what
ia practically partnership with theee
railroad corporations, q partnership which,
so fur as va are coIeeYned, Is eminent!y
proper, legitimate and profitable. In de-
Iault Of such arrangements, however, the
Government could not operate our tele-
graph lines without a very large and start.
ling deficit. OF course the Government
nas the power to buy in nil the telegraph
ilnes at an appraised value II they want
10, but think they will not want TO-" 81